Women voters' league seeks more voters

The Rockdale-Newton League of Women Voters will hold its second voter registration drive for 2012 in September.

The League of Women Voters has chapters throughout the U.S. and the Georgia chapter sponsors a website which gives weekly updates from the State Capitol and links to local officials.

The mandate for the organization is to educate voters in Georgia through nonpartisan publications and public forums, to educate the next generation by speaking to student groups and to lobby at the State Capitol for fair accessible elections, government accountability, environmental preservation and equitable funding for education and fair treatment of women and children.

In 2011, Minister Elizabeth Partridge-Godfrey was elected chairman of voter registration. Godfrey is planning additional registrations before the General Election.

The first voter registration drive was held Aug. 25 at Johnson Park, Conyers and the second drive will be held on Sept. 29 with the location to be determined.

On Sept. 8, she will hold a registration from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Covington Branch Library on Floyd Street. Godfrey also serves as a Newton County Deputy Registrar.

Godfrey worked to reactivate and reorganize The Newton County Voters League which had been dormant.

She was its president from 1990-97 and received help from the Rockdale-Newton County League of Voters. "God wants me to serve the people by helping to register them to vote," she said.

She credits many volunteers with helping to revitalize the program: Dorothy Sherrill, Allene Eatman, Norma Henley, Elizabeth Loescher, Gladys Broun and June McDowell.

"I have learned so much from the League of Women Voters. I will continue to be a league member (her term will end this September), and I've paid my dues for next year.

"However, I've decided to let someone else be chair and vice president. I will do voter registration in other areas," said Godfrey.